Scadoxus Puniceus

 

Scadoxus puniceus

Common names:

English: Paintbrush lily, Snake lily,

Zulu: isisphompho, umgola

German: Blutblume

Distribution:

Scadoxus puniceus which belongs to the plant family Amaryllidaceae is native to much of southern and eastern Africa: Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini (Swaziland), and South Africa in the Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Northern Provinces.

Description:

The spring flowering, summer growing Scadoxus puniceus is one of South Africa's most striking bulbous plants.

Scadoxus puniceus growing in the Durban area flower shoot up a flower spike followed once flowering is over by the leaves at the end of August into September bearing large dense inflorescences up to 15cm across consisting of numerous smaller scarlet flowers with bright yellow anthers. There is a white colour form. 

The flower stalk may reach up to 50-60cm and is often spotted with purple near the base. The inflorescences are borne within bracts which may be large and dark purplish red in colour. Sunbirds, Spectacled weavers, mousebirds and other nectivorous birds feed on the nectar produced by the flowers. The young inflorescence, protected by bracts and borne on the red/purple spotted flower stalk, appears first, followed by the stem which bears 6-8 leaves. The leaves are glossy green, reach 30-40cm in length and have wavy margins. They are held erect clasping at the base to form a pseudostem (false stem) which has red/purple speckled scale leaves at the base.

 

The large underground bulbs may be up to 10cm across and have a short thick stem at the base from which numerous fleshy roots arise. The plants are dormant in winter and use the large bulbs and roots to store moisture during this period.

The fruits are fleshy, round, shiny red berries up to ±1cm in diameter. They bear single soft pearl-like seeds inside. Ripe berries eaten by birds and monkeys.

Habitat:

Scadoxus puniceus is very adaptable plant in regarding to where they grow. They occur in sandy soil in dry coastal and dune forest, in inland forests they can be found growing in deep shade often in leaf mould on rocks, under trees in woodlands as well in grasslands in full sun.

Medicinal Uses:

As within many of the closely related members of the plant family Amaryllidaceae, Scadoxus puniceus is poisonous and deaths have been reported following the ingestion of the bulb. However, although it is considered poisonous in significant amounts, it is used traditionally to treat "coughs, gastro-intestinal problems, febrile colds, asthma, leprosy, sprains and bruises," and "as an antidote to poisons.'" It is also used as a diuretic. The leaves are applied to sores and ulcers to aid healing and act as an antiseptic. The plant is also traditionally consumed during pregnancy as part of an herbal regime to ensure safe labour. The alkaloids in the plant include haemanthamines, haemanthidine, 6-β-hydroxycrinamine, scapunine, and scadoxucines.

Scadoxus puniceus is ranked as one of the most-traded medicinal plant species in South Africa.

Horticultural and landscape uses:

The magnificent Scadoxus puniceus is a well-known plant which is grown worldwide as both a house plant as well as outside as a landscape plant in countries with a warm enough climate.

The striking flowers last a long time as a cut flower and if artificially pollinated will produce seeds that in time turn bright red and can be planted to produce new plants.

Scadoxus puniceus grows very well as a green roof plant.

Growing Scadoxus puniceus:

The paintbrush lily Scadoxus puniceus that is very easy to grow has been in cultivation in Holland since early 18th century. It does well planted in the ground as well as in containers both inside and outside.

Scadoxus puniceus although they will grow under very unfavorable conditions in infertile or clay soils in and in deep shade, they will grow and flower best if planted in well-drained soil to which compost has been added in a semi-shady position or full sun. Water regularly in summer and keep them reasonably dry in winter. they do not like to be overwatered or to stand in water, this could cause the roots to rot. When grown in South Africa the Amaryllis lily borer caterpillar can cause severe damage to or kill the whole plant if not controlled.

When grown in a container both inside, our outside they must be grown in a loose well drained growing medium as used to grow Clivias in, which is allowed to dry out between watering. They respond well to being fertilized with either a balanced slow-release fertilizer or liquid feed.

Propagation:

Scadoxus puniceus are easily propagated in large numbers from seed which must be sown fresh, however one needs to have some patience because they are slow-growing and will take 4-5 years before flowering.

They can also be grown vegetatively using these standard methods used to propagate bulbs;

Offsets:

Offsets are the baby bulbs that develop naturally at the base of the parent bulb. When separated from the parent bulb and planted, offsets produce vegetative growth for a few years until mature enough to flower.

Scooping:

In scooping, the entire basal plate of a mature bulb is scooped out with a curved scalpel or small knife. Scooped bulbs are then placed in a warm (21 degrees Celsius) dark location for about two weeks. During the third week, adventitious bulblets will begin to form. Temperature should be increased to 29 degrees Celsius, and the relative humidity should be at 85%. When new roots form, the bulblets can be planted. It may be four to five years before bulbs flower.

Scoring:

In this method, three cuts are made at the base of a mature bulb to form 6 pie-shaped sections. Cuts should reach just below the widest point of the bulb. The bulb is then placed in a warm, dark, humid location for a few months. When bulblets form, the mother bulb and bulblets can be planted. It usually takes three to four years for bulblets to reach flowering size.

Sectioning:

A sectioned bulb is cut into five to ten pie-shaped sections, each with part of the base attached. Sections are treated as scored and cored bulbs. This method is the easiest and the one that I prefer and mostly use.

General:

This is the very first plant that I grew, having dug one out of the forest opposite my parent’s home about as a child about sixty five years ago. Amazingly it was still growing in the same position although having developed into a huge group of plants in 2006 when the house was sold.

CJM Nursery has some good information on their website at https://cjmgrowers.co.za/scadoxus-puniceus/

Article written by Michael Hickman 01.09.2023

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Mystacidium pusillum The Small Flowered Mystacidium

 

 

Mystacidium pusillum is a miniature sized twig epiphytic, cool to cold growing South African endemic orchid that may persist to grow on older branches in particular on its principal host tree the Kei Apple, Dovyalis caffra.

Mystacidium pusillum species is known from a small number of sites in the eastern parts of South Africa including the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces where it occurs in temperate and subtropical forests at elevations of 900 to 1200 meters.

Mystacidium pusillum has short stems carrying 1 to 5, elliptic to oblanceolate, unequally bilobed apically, rounded leaves. Leaves are not always present.

Mystacidium pusillum blooms in the winter on several, pendant, 1.5 to 3.5 cm on a long, 4 to 7 flowered inflorescence. The numerous light lime green flowers measure 5 mm across.

Mystacidium, is a genus of the orchid family Orchidaceae, Epidendroideae, Vandeae, Angraecinae which is native to eastern and southern Africa from Tanzania to South Africa where 10 accepted Species are to be found.

Mystacidium pusillum is from research thought to be pollinated by settling moths with at least five species from three moth families being responsible.

Cultivation

In cultivation this is an easy to grow epiphytic orchid. I have them growing extremely well and relatively quickly in comparison to most other of our indigenous orchids indoors at the coast 35 km North of Durban in South Africa. I have them growing under cool white led lights giving in the region of 5000 lux to 5500 lux depending on how much light comes in through the windows with a timer that gives an 18 hour photo period from equinox to equinox in the long day hot time of year and 14 hours in cooler short day time of the year.

The photos clearly show how I am growing them above a tray of water, however they can be and I have grown them outside in the past on mounts of various materials the best being grape vine stems.

My plants get heavily misted daily both in summer and in winter giving them no dry period.

Fertilizing

I alternate very dilute amounts of a balanced water-soluble hydroponics fertiliser formulation for flower and fruit, as well as Nitrosol, Fulvic acid, Seagro as well as tea and rooibos tea, which I apply once or twice a week in the summer and about every two weeks in winter.

Article written by Michael Hickman 21.07.2023

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Microcoelia exilis Pinhead Orchid

 Microcoelia exilis  Pinhead Orchid Iphamba

Description

Microcoelia exilis  is a monopodial leafless epiphytic orchid with an extensive branching root system with long roots resembling an untidy bird’s nest hanging from the branch of a tree. The roots grow into open clumps that allow a maximum amount of light to reach all of the roots. The grey roots with orange growing tips contain the chlorophyll that aids in photosynthesis. 

Plants have a stem from which masses of very small, white flowers, the smallest of all orchid flowers naturally growing in South Africa are borne on a very long flowering stem.

There is a very distinctive spherical spur present

The flower stems of Microcoelia exilis are slender, arching and drooping, becoming from 6 cm to 12 cm long with time. The inflorescences emerge from below new roots. 

From 20 to 80 tiny white flowers may be found in one spike, a flower less than 2 mm in diameter. A brownish anther cap is visible in each flower centre. There is a very distinctive spherical spur present, 1 mm in diameter.

Flowering can occur nearly throughout the year, mostly from mid-summer to early autumn.

Exilis means thin, weak or meagre in Latin, probably referring to the inflorescence.

Distribution and habitat

Microcoelia is an orchid genus consisting of 31 species endemic to Africa.

The species Microcoelia exilis  is an epiphytic perennial that grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Its range includes South Africa , Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Madagascar where it grows on the small branches and twigs of trees  in gallery forests, woodland, secondary forests and plantations, at elevations of up to about 1,800 m (6,000 ft)

In the South Africa I have found Microcoelia exilis growing in Sand Forest, a region of ancient dunes northern KwaZulu-Natal in deep shade on Cola greenwayi and Drypetes arguta. In the Durban area I have seen them growing on Syzygium cordatum, and in deep shade on Mangifera indica (mango)

Cultural uses

In South Africa it is used as a love charm.

Cultivation

I have grown these orchids in Durban South Africa for nearly 50 years both outdoors as well as more recently indoors. Microcoelia exilis is an easy to grow epiphyte that possesses a nearly complete disregard for whatever it might be mounted on. An occasional root or two might attach to its host to stabilize its growth but the vast majority of the plant thrives in the open air. In cultivation they can be suspended tied to a piece of string, placed on a piece of plastic mesh, tied to a wooden mount or simply placed on top of an empty pot which has a stone placed into it to give it stability. I have even grown them to a potted shrub.

They grow easily and well under both low, medium and high light intensities requiring plenty of water and very little feeding, in fact too high concentrations of feed very easily damage or kill them, be sure to soak them frequently in pure water to remove any salt concentrations that may collect on your plant.

My plants are watered daily, a few times a month I add a very dilute amount of feed to the water followed the next day with a heavy drench of water or I soak the plant in a bucket of water for 15 minutes to remove any excessive accumulation of salts from the roots.

When happy they grow and multiply extremely quickly in comparison to most other of our local orchids and when happy and well established they flower almost continuously throughout the year.

Article written by Michael Hickman 27.06.2023

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Oeceoclades lonchophylla

 

Oeceoclades lonchophylla

Distribution and habitat

Oeceoclades lonchophylla is a terrestrial orchid species found growing in deep shade in leaf litter in coastal forest in  northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, Tanzania and the Comoros islands.

Oeceoclades lonchophylla that I have seen in the wild have all been growing in relatively dry coastal forest on deep alluvial sands, where they were found growing in leaf litter in association with Sansevieria concinna and Scadoxus membranaceus both of which have leaves that are very similar in appearance making it hard to spot them growing together with these plants. Other plants growing together with Oeceoclades lonchophylla have been Scadoxus multiflorus, Scadoxus punicious and Microsorum scolopendrium.

Appearance

The Oeceoclades lonchophylla look and feel as if they are made of plastic.

The shiny leave blades of Oeceoclades lonchophylla are very thin being only 0.7mm, they are see through, a dull green colour with cross hatching with a darker green along the length of the parallel venation. The averaging length of the blade being 130 – 140 mm and between 50 – 55 wide, with petioles averaging 200mm in lenght.

The pseudobulbs are conical 30 – 40 mm long and 15 mm at the base, they are same dull dark green as the petioles and leaves.

The inflorescence which is 3.4 – 4 mm in diameter is between 500 – 600 mm long carrying between 

50 – 65 individual blooms is produced in December and January has a fairly long flowering time.

 

Annually in early summer Oeceoclades lonchophylla produces a new leaf, the inflorescence following shortly thereafter. Healthy plants will occasionally create a new additional lead.

In cultivation I have found that Oeceoclades lonchophylla grows well indoors under relatively low light conditions 250 – 350 lux in a loose sandy very well drained growing medium with a little added coarse compost and partly decomposed twigs and bark. I ensure good air movement at all times from open widows in the cooler months of the year and the additional use of a fan in the hot humid summer months. The relative humidity varies from around 55 percent in the winter up to 95 in the summer the average being around 75 percent.

Watering and feeding.

I ensure that the roots remain moist throughout the year increasing the amount of watering during the period of active growth, however I am careful not to over water them or allow the growing medium to become waterlogged. To prevent waterlogging and to increase gas exchange in the root zone it is advisable to have spacers under the pots to allow for free drainage and for air to enter the pots from below.

I feed frequently at very low concentrations usually one quarter or less than the recommended application rate with a variety of feeds, being EasyGro™ Flower and Fruit 3:1:6(46) hydroponic feed distributed by  Rolfes Agri, Seagro, Nitrosol, fulvic acid as well as with both black as well as rooibos tea.

Periodically I flush out the pots with clean tap water to remove any buildup of salts or other harmful substances of decay in the growing medium.

General care

The leaves are cleaned with water and a cloth from time to time to remove dust and other contaminants.

The leaves get a very light misting most mornings with tap water in the winter months I use warm water of about 40 degrees Celsius.

I lightly sprinkle the growing medium with a granular systemic neonicotinoid insecticide as a preventative measure against insect pests in particular those that attack the roots and the bases of the pseudobulbs that usually go unnoticed until the plant shows advanced signs of damage.

Article written by Michael Hickman 24.01.2023

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